Companies enter cross licensing agreement

WILMINGTON, Del. — DuPont and Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, have entered into a commercial cross licensing agreement that will enable the two companies to deliver expanded herbicide-tolerant soybean options to farmers in the next decade.

Agreement

Under the agreement, Dow AgroSciences is licensing non-exclusively its proprietary herbicide tolerant trait technology for soybeans to DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred.

In addition, Pioneer is licensing non-exclusively its proprietary Optimum GAT trait for soybeans to Dow AgroSciences. Both companies have given the other rights to stack additional traits with their respective technology.

Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Dow AgroSciences expects to submit herbicide-tolerant trait technology data to U.S. regulatory agencies this year. Dow AgroSciences anticipates commercialization early in the next decade pending regulatory authorizations.

Improved weed control

The new herbicide-tolerant trait technology allows growers to continue farming the way they want, but with improved weed control capabilities and performance.

The system is designed to provide excellent control of glyphosate-resistant and other hard-to-control broadleaf weeds like morning glory, pigweeds including palmer amaranth, lambsquarters, marestail, waterhemp, giant and common ragweed and velvetleaf.

In anticipation of regulatory approvals for its herbicide-tolerant trait technology, Dow AgroSciences is developing new and improved herbicide solutions based on the proven, trusted 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid technology growers have used successfully for more than 60 years.

Stacked together

When stacked together, the Optimum GAT trait from Pioneer and the new herbicide-tolerant trait technology being developed by Dow AgroSciences would produce soybeans that are tolerant to 2,4-D, glyphosate and ALS herbicides.

The Optimum GAT trait from Pioneer provides tolerance to glyphosate and the ALS class of herbicides. Optimum GAT soybeans have received U.S. regulatory approvals and a 2011 introduction is anticipated upon regulatory approvals in key importing countries.